I Will Follow You Into The Dark
by l0vealways
Summary: Haley James used to have friends. She used to be happy. All that changed when her mother died, leaving her alone with an alcoholic father. But things are about to change again.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I do not own OTH. **

**In this story, Nathan isn't a jerk to Lucas when he joins the team. They are still brothers. This will eventually be a Naley.**

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Haley James woke to the annoying buzzing of her alarm. The pounding headache and aching muscles made her want to stay in bed, away from the world. However, she had to go to school. And, she was no stranger to waking up with a few (or more) bruises. So, she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower to soothe her aching body.

After getting dressed and applying the small amount of makeup she normally wore, she moved quickly out of the house, or else she would be late for school. Haley made her way along the short walk she had to Tree Hill High.

Upon her arrival, she saw her ex best friend Lucas Scott, talking to his friends from the basketball team. He saw Haley, and quickly looked away.

Haley was not always like this. She used to have friends. She used to be all about school, her friends, and work. That all changed almost a year ago.

Haley and her best friend Lucas Scott were inseparable from the day they first met. Lucas was an only child, and Haley was the youngest of 6, who were all gone by the time Haley reached high school. It was just Lucas and his mom, and Haley loved that. Haley's mother had died in a car accident their freshman year, so Karen was like a second mother to her. Haley and her father didn't really get along after her mother died. Jimmy James had always been a little bit of a drinker, but after Lydia's death, things went from bad to worse. When Haley arrived home from school one day, she started her homework like she always did. Then, her father walked in the door, obviously drunk, and obviously reeling about something.

"HALEY JAMES! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HEREE!" he slurred.

Haley was afraid, her father wasn't normally violent when he drank, but he seemed different somehow. She crept downstairs, and asked her father what was wrong. Her answer was a blow to the face. She fell to the ground in shock and pain. Her father didn't stop there. He beat her for a few more minutes, before stumbling into the living room and onto the couch. Haley tried to pick herself up off the floor, but the pain was too much, and she collapsed into the darkness.

She woke on the hard linoleum of the kitchen floor, her body in immense pain from the beating she took hours before. She gathered the strength to get herself up, and walked as quietly as she could past her father, passed out on the couch. She made her way up the stairs and into her bed, wincing the entire way. This was the night Haley James' life changed.

The next morning, she got up, and stepped into the shower, washing away the blood and soothing her body. She dressed in long sleeves and pants, and applied make up to the large purple bruise forming on her cheek. She lifted up her shirt to see the grotesque marks on her ribs from the kicking her father had done. She looked like death. She did her best to be quiet on her way out of the house, she was terribly afraid to wake her father. She arrived at school on time, which was a miracle, considering the pace she was walking.

Lucas was across the courtyard, talking to his new friends. After recently joining the basketball team, he became friends with all the people Haley and Lucas used to make fun of. The popular crowd. And now Lucas was one of them.

"Haley! Wait up!" Lucas ran to catch up with her as she walked by. "I thought you were coming to dinner last night, what happened to you?"

"Nothing Lucas, something just came up," Haley responded.

"What's wrong Haley, you don't look so good," Lucas asked with concern. Just then, his friends from the team yelled his name.

"Sorry Haley, we'll have to catch up later!" and with that, Lucas Scott walked out of Haley's life.

It wasn't entirely his fault. Haley actually blamed herself. She was the one who avoided all of his calls and messages. It would be easier if she didn't have to work so hard to hide it from him. If she avoided him long enough, maybe he would just leave her alone. And he did. So Haley James went home to an abusive father every day, without her best friend to help her.

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**Please Review! I'm working on the next chapter. If I get enough reviews, I'll continue. I like constructive criticism, so please review! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews guys, keep them coming. I need ideas on which direction to take this story, please give me your feedback. I'm working on making the chapters longer. Enjoy!**

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Haley had only tried to leave her father once. And once was all it took.

After a particularly nasty beating, she had packed a bag, hoping to slip out before her father woke up. She would go live with Quinn, or Taylor, or any of her other siblings. Anything was better than here. As she was walking down the hallway, she heard her father grunt. He was awake. He stumbled into her path as she quickly tried to get out of the house.

"Wheree do you think youu're goinn'" he slurred.

"I'm leaving. I'm going to stay with Quinn, " Haley stood her ground.

"I donn't think so," He said, grabbing a knife from the kitchen table. "'You try to leave me, and you're dead."

Haley attempted to side step him, but this resulted in her being stabbed in the stomach. She fell to the ground in a heap.

"Don't think I won't kill you next time. And you try to get help from your brothers and sisters, they're dead too." The evil look in his eyes was enough for Haley. That coupled with the now severely bleeding hole in her stomach told her he was not playing around.

She had made it to the hospital with help from a neighbor. When they asked her what happened, she mumbled something about a kitchen accident and her clumsiness. They all bought it. After all, Jimmy James was a great guy.

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As Haley sat in her 3rd period English class, she fingered the scar, bringing back the awful memory of how it happened. She was so tired. Sleeping at home was not easy when you had an alcoholic and abusive father in the next room. She put her head down on her desk. Maybe she would rest. Just for a moment.

This was a bad idea. Not ten minutes later, Haley woke with a scream, causing the teacher and every student in the class to stare at her. Breathing heavily, all she could say was, "Excuse me," before bolting out of the room. Lucas stared after her with concern and considered following her, but he was beaten to it by his brother, Nathan.

Haley walked down the hallway, still shaking from her nightmare. Was it still a nightmare if it was real life? She dreamt she had come home from school and her father had gone after her, this time with a gun. She tried to run, but he caught her, and just when he pulled the trigger, she woke up screaming.

"Great," Haley thought. "Now the whole school is going to think I'm a lunatic. Could things get any worse?"

"Haley!" called a voice.

"Guess I spoke too soon," she muttered, while turning around to face none other than Nathan Scott.

"Haley! Are you okay? You kind of freaked back there," said Nathan. There was concern dripping from his voice.

"I'm fine. Why do you even care?" snapped Haley.

"Hey, I'm sorry. You just looked really scared. It seemed like more than a bad dream."

"I'm fine Nathan. Please just leave me alone."

As Haley walked away, Nathan couldn't help but notice how she stepped gingerly, almost as if she were nursing an injury. She definitely had something more going on than she was mentioning.

The bell rang, and Lucas walked up behind him.

"Hey man where'd you run off to?" asked Lucas.

"Nowhere, I was just checking on Haley, she looked pretty freaked. You guys used to be really good friends didn't you? Maybe you should talk to her."

"Yeah. Maybe." Lucas mumbled, staring down the hallway.

Lucas couldn't understand where their friendship had gone wrong. He always put Haley before the team, before his other friends, but then one day, she just stopped caring. She started avoiding him and then eventually they were cut off completely. He couldn't deny it. He missed Haley. Maybe he should try to talk to her. Just then, his girlfriend Brooke Davis walked up.

"Hey boyfriend! Did you hear about Haley? You were in her class weren't you? I heard she went all Sydney Prescott and freaked during class."

"Yeah Brooke I was there," Lucas answered, not really focusing.

"You okay, Lucas? You seem a little off."

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little worried about Haley."

"Maybe you should talk to her, broody."

"Yeah, Nathan already suggested that. Maybe I will."

Lucas was rather distracted the rest of the day. He didn't see Haley, and couldn't understand what could have been so awful that would make her scream like that. Her mother's death had happened a few years back, but he thought she had made peace with it. He missed his best friend, and decided to go see her after school.

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Haley walked home from school and entered the house quietly, like she did every other day. She cleaned up the mess her father had made the night before. She didn't want to make him more angry than he already was. She took out her homework, finished everything, and even got a head start on a paper that wasn't due for a few weeks. Then, her father came home.

"Haley! Where's dinner? I'm hungry!" he yelled through the house.

Haley had prepared dinner before starting her homework. She put it out on the table for him, and he ate quickly, without a thank you. He got up and moved into the living room. As Haley cleared the dishes, she thought, "Maybe this will be a good night." Just then, the doorbell rang. "Scratch that."

She ran to get the door, hoping her father had already passed out and hadn't heard it. Who could be knocking on her door? No one ever came to her house. She opened the door to reveal a very nervous looking Lucas on her front steps.

"Hi Haley."

"Lucas."

"May I come in?"

Haley looked behind her. Her father was asleep in the chair.

"No." She walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I just came by to check on you Haley. Nathan said you were pretty freaked today."

"No offense Lucas, but why do you care? You haven't said hello to me in months and now here you are on my doorstep asking me if I'm okay?"

Lucas stood there not really knowing what to say. He stared blankly as she continued.

"No Lucas. I'm not okay. Now please leave."

"Haley, I--"

"Lucas. I'm telling you now. Leave."

And with that, Haley walked back into the house, leaving a very confused Lucas on the front porch. When she reentered the door however, she was met with the face of her father.

"Who was that?"

"It was just Lucas."

"Lucas? Did you try to get help from someone?" her father asked, his voice rising.

"No! I swear, he just came by to ask me a question about an assignment!"

"I don't believe you!" he screamed, punching her.

"Do you really think he would have left if he knew?!" Haley screamed, hoping to save herself from a harsher beating.

This only provoked him more, and soon Haley was on the ground, being kicked and punched over and over. And then came the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Much like many other mornings, Haley woke to find herself on the floor. Then came the pain. It was almost unbearable, but she had been through worse. From what she could tell, her wrist was definitely at least sprained, and it was possible she had broken a few ribs. She got up off the floor and dragged herself into the bathroom, to ready herself for the day. She wrapped her wrist as best she could in an ace bandage, and covered the now forming bruises that were visible. "God Lucas," she thought. "Why couldn't you just leave it alone."

Haley crept out of the house, not wanting to disturb her father, who was passed out in his bed for a change. She made it to school and to her locker without problem from anyone. That's when Lucas came.

"Haley, can we talk? Please?" Lucas said, cornering her against the lockers.

"No Lucas. I said all I needed to last night." Haley started to walk away, but Lucas grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her. This caused a blinding pain to shoot through Haley's torso, where she was now positive of the broken ribs. She screamed out in agony, causing the entire hallway to look at her. Lucas dropped her arm immediately, and looked on in confusion as Haley clutched her side. She looked around, unsure of what to do.

"Haley? What's wrong? What happened?" Lucas shot questions at her.

Haley took this opportunity to wander to the nearest girls bathroom, which was luckily only a few feet away.

"Haley! Wait!" Lucas tried to follow her.

Haley collapsed onto the ground, praying there was no one else in the bathroom. She breathed heavily, trying to compose herself to get through the school day.

Out in the hallway, Nathan had witnessed the scene between Haley and Lucas.

"Lucas, what was that?"

"I don't know man, I grabbed her arm, and she just screamed, like I hurt her or something."

Nathan stared at the girl's bathroom, and before he or Lucas could stop himself, he was pushing the door open.

He looked around for a few moments, before realizing Haley was on the floor.

"Haley!" Nathan knelt by her side. "Are you okay?!"

Haley was beyond surprised, and she really didn't know what to do in this situation. She looked at him for a second, before blurting out the best lie she could think of.

"I'm fine Nathan, I swear. Just clumsy. I fell down the stairs last night, and I just have a few bruises and I twisted my wrist. Lucas just caught me off guard."

Nathan looked at her, not really believing a word she was saying. To Haley's surprise, he lifted up her shirt, and before Haley yanked it down, he got a glimpse of the shoe shaped bruises on her abdomen.

"Nathan! Stop!" Haley did her best to scramble away from him, and with some trouble, made it to her feet.

"I'm sorry Haley, but that does not look like you fell down the stairs."

"Nathan. Leave it alone. I'm clumsy. That's it. I don't even know you, and I certainly don't need your help. I'm going to say it again. Just fuck off!" Haley stormed angrily out of the bathroom and past a bewildered Lucas.

Nathan was met in the hallway with a bombardment of questions from the confused blonde.

"What'd she say? Is she okay?"

"Look Lucas, the girl is definitely not okay. She's got some serious bruises and they were not from falling down the stairs."

"Who would want to hurt Haley?"

"I don't know Lucas, but she needs help."

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After school, Haley was still reeling from her encounter with both Scott boys that day. She couldn't believe Nathan had the nerve to follow her. Again! Although, she did see concern in his eyes. But no. Why would anyone ever care about Haley. She didn't need their help anyways. She was perfectly fine.

Her father arrived home, and ignored her, heading straight for the fridge to grab a beer. Or six.

When the doorbell rang, Haley was beside herself. This time, she was met with both Lucas and Nathan. Could this day be any more difficult?

"What do you guys want?"

"Haley we just want to help you. Nathan said that you were really hurt. Who did this to you?"

"No one did anything to me! I fell down the stairs! That's it! You don't know me anymore Lucas! So leave me alone!" Haley screamed, which was obviously a mistake, because it called her father's attention to the front door. He shoved Haley aside, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor. Both Nathan and Lucas darted forward to help her, but were stopped by Jimmy James.

"What are you doing on my property?" he said in a drawling tone, his breath smelling obviously of alcohol.

"Excuse me Mr. James, but we're here to help Haley." By now, both Lucas and Nathan had put the pieces together, and Nathan had to restrain himself from pummeling Haley's father on the spot.

"Haley doesn't need anybody's help! She's perfectly fine, aren't you Haley?"

Haley's answer was a low whimper that they almost didn't hear. "No."

"What was that?" Jimmy turned to face his daughter, who was now standing.

"I said, NO! I'm not fine. And I do need help! I need to get out of this house and away from you! I'm leaving!" Haley screamed. Her sudden outburst surprised the two boys, but they were ready when Jimmy lunged at Haley.

There was a swirl of punches and fists flying, but Lucas and Nathan managed to subdue the older man.

"Haley, call the police." Lucas said, never taking his eyes off the monster in front of him.

Haley stood in shock. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Had her life just changed, all in a few moments?

"Haley!" Lucas called, breaking her out of her trance. She went as fast as she could to call the police.

They showed up a few moments later, and as her father was being taken away, she began to cry. Nathan saw this, and immediately wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't stand to see this girl in any pain, let alone what she must be feeling right now. She was tense at first, but after a few moments, she relaxed into his embrace.

Lucas stood in awe at all that had just happened. He found out why his best friend pushed him away, why she was hurting, and had apparently gotten her back all in a split second. Haley broke away from Nathan to stand in front of Lucas.

"Lucas, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you away, and I'm sorry for how I treated you." Haley spoke, still crying.

"Aw Hales, you have nothing to be sorry for, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." They both hugged, two best friends again.

As Nathan watched the scene before him, he knew everything in his world was about to change.

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**Thanks for the reviews guys, keep them coming! I'm not really sure where to go from here, but I've got a few ideas. Feedback please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been so long since my last update, I've been really busy. Enjoy!**

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After the events at her house, Nathan and Lucas insisted Haley go to the hospital, despite her protests. She now found herself sitting behind a curtain at Tree Hill Hospital, waiting for a doctor to come talk to her. They had taken x-rays and cast her wrist, and also gave her some medication for the pain. When the doctor walked in, Haley cringed. She knew what he was going to say.

"Hello Haley, I'm Dr. Walker."

"It's nice to meet you," mumbled Haley. This was not a situation she wanted to be in.

"Haley, as you know, your wrist is broken, the cast will have to stay on for a few weeks. Your ribs are cracked, but they should heal on their own, we've already given you some medication for the pain. There's one other thing I'd like to ask you about. Through the nurse's exam, she found evidence of sexual abuse. Can you tell me about that?"

Haley looked down. She was afraid of this. She didn't want to talk about it. This is one thing she wished she could just put away in a box somewhere and never think of it ever again. And here was the doctor, shoving it in her face. She was a little angry.

"What is there to say? My abusive father raped me? That's what happened."

"I'm sorry Haley. We did a pregnancy test, and you aren't pregnant. But you should definitely consider talking to someone about this. I have to inform the police." Haley looked a little panicked. "It will help put him behind bars. Isn't that what you want?" the doctor asked.

"Yes. You're right. Can I go now?"

"Yes, I'll just get your discharge papers. And Haley, I'm not allowed to tell anyone about what we talked about in here, but I really think you should talk to someone you trust."

"Yeah... thanks." Haley hopped off the bed and moved slowly out into the hallway.

As soon as she stepped into the hallway, Nathan and Lucas shot up from their seats.

"Haley! You okay?"

"I'm fine Lucas, just a few broken bones. Nothing a little time won't fix. Can you just take me home?"

"Haley, are you sure it's such a good idea for you to be alone right now? You can come stay with me and my mom."

Haley thought about this for a minute. She really didn't want to be back in her house. The place itself made her nervous. But if she went to Lucas' she would have to talk to him. Well, it was going to happen eventually.

"Alright." she muttered. Nathan followed behind the two friends, not saying a word.

"Hey Nate, you want me to drop you off on the way?"

"Sure man, that'd be great." They drove in silence the entire way to Nathan's house. When they pulled up, Nathan hesitated for a second, before saying his goodbyes.

"Thanks for the ride Lucas. Haley, if you need anything, let me know." He slowly got out of the car and went into his house.

Lucas and Haley pulled into his driveway a few minutes later. They both sat in silence, waiting for the other to do something. Finally, Lucas broke the silence.

"So, are you ready to go inside?"

"...Yyyeah. Let's go." Haley slowly moved for the door handle, and they both got out of the car.

"I'll talk to my mom. Just go right into my room."

"Thanks Lucas." Haley crept into Lucas' room and sat on his bed. It hadn't changed. Except for the occasional photo here and there, his room was still filled with basketball stuff and books. She picked up a picture of him and Brooke. They looked so happy together, she was happy for him. Then, she saw the picture of her and Lucas from a few years ago, before her mom died. They had been playing mini golf on the roof of the cafe. It was one of the happiest moments of Haley's life. She hugged the frame close to her chest and began to cry. As she sobbed, she shrank down onto the bed and cried herself to sleep.

Lucas walked into the kitchen to find his mother sitting at the table.

"Lucas! Where have you been! I've been calling you for the past hour and a half!" She continued to rant on before Lucas stopped her.

"Mom... I'm sorry. It was Haley. I..." at this point, Lucas began to tear up and his mother knew something must've been wrong.

"Lucas, what is it? What happened?"

"It was Haley's dad, Mom. Remember Jimmy? He's been abusing her. That's why she pushed us away. That's why she wouldn't talk to me. He hurt her Mom." Lucas was crying now, and his mother wrapped her arms around him, crying herself.

"Oh Lucas. Where is she now?"

"My room."

"Good. She'll stay with us. What happened? Is he in jail? How did you find out? Why didn't she tell you?" Karen shot countless questions at Lucas, and he answered them all. The two decided that Haley would stay with them, at least until she figured out what she wanted to do. Lucas left the kitchen and went into his room, to find Haley in a restless sleep on his bed. He pulled the blankets over her and sat in a chair, watching her sleep. Not too much later, he fell asleep himself.

Lucas jolted up, after hearing Haley's scream. She was still screaming as Lucas tried to wake her. When he finally succeeded, she was hysterical and crying.

"Haley! Haley! Hales! It's okay, it's me, Lucas!" Haley looked at him for a moment, trying to calm herself down. Right now, the dreams were the worst part. Lucas hugged her and rocked her back and forth.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucas rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "Why did you push me away Haley? I could have helped you."

Haley sniffled for a moment, and then chose to speak. "I was scared Lucas. That first day, when I walked away from you, I just couldn't look you in the eyes. I knew you would know. You knew me better than anyone else. And I didn't know what he would do if he found out. It was just easier to stay away."

"Why didn't you ever try to leave?"

"I did. Once. I tried to go see Quinn. That's how I got this." Haley lifted her shirt to reveal a particularly nasty scar spanning 6 inches across her stomach. "He threatened my brothers and sisters. And he wasn't kidding. I couldn't let anything happen to them." Tears formed in Lucas' eyes as Haley told her story. He continued to ask questions, and surprisingly, she answered.

They continued the night getting to know each other again. Lucas told Haley all about his relationship with Brooke and his new brotherhood with Nathan. He and Nathan were not really nasty to each other before, they just didn't know each other. Now, they were actually brothers.

Haley explained to Lucas about her father, and the drinking, the hitting, the many mornings waking up on the linoleum floor, and everything else. Except the rape. That was not something she wanted him to know. She and Lucas were becoming best friends again. The next day was going to be very different.

They fell asleep talking and woke up in the morning to a huge breakfast. As soon as Haley entered the kitchen, Karen enveloped her in a warm embrace.

"Lucas told me what happened sweetie. I'm so sorry. You're welcome here as long as you like. This is your home too." Haley had always thought of Karen as her second mother, and returned the embrace with an equally warming hug.

"Eat up kids, Haley, you two don't have to go to school today if you don't want to. You deserve a day or two off."

"Oh, no we'll be fine. I don't want to get behind." Haley insisted.

"Are you sure?" Karen and Lucas looked at her questioningly.

"Positive. I've gone to school in much worse states." Haley said with a chuckle, but Lucas and Karen didn't laugh.

"I'm sorry. It's just, I can't dwell on the past, I'd rather just move on, you know?"

"Of course. If you need anything at all, just call. I'll be at the cafe."

"Thanks Karen." With another hug from Haley and a kiss to Lucas, she was out the door. Lucas and Haley made their way to Lucas' car and drove in comfortable silence to the school.

"You sure you're ready for this?"

"I'm sure." Lucas threw his arm over her shoulder and they walked into Tree Hill High, receiving odd looks from much of the student body. Only he, Haley, and Nathan knew about yesterday's events, and the rumors would soon be flying.

"Haley, what are you going to tell people?"

"What do you mean, Lucas?"

"Well, they're obviously going to ask. I mean look at them, they're like vultures, just waiting for one of us to walk away so they can bombard us with questions." Haley looked around. The student body was indeed looking at them.

"It's none of their business. Things will calm down in a few days. Let them think what they want, I don't care."

"Okay, Hales. Just let me know if anyone gives you any trouble." Haley smiled at Lucas. It was good to have her best friend back again.

"Boyfriend!" Brooke bounced up to them, giving Lucas a peck on the cheek.

"Hey Brooke, you know Haley, my best friend." Brooke gave him an odd 'you have some explaining to do later' look but continued without missing a beat.

"Of course! What's up Haley?"

"Hey Brooke. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. OMG what happened to your wrist?!" Brooke gasped at the cast on Haley's arm.

"My dad hit me, and I fell." Haley answered nonchalantly. She saw no reason to lie, and Brooke was Lucas' girlfriend, so she would find out sooner or later.

Brooke stared at her speechless for a few moments before breaking out in concern. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry. What can I do? Does it hurt? Do you need anything?"

"Slow down Tigger, I'm fine. It was just a bad situation. Luckily, Lucas and Nathan were there to help me out. And do me a favor, don't advertise this. I don't really want the whole school knowing."

"Of course not, let me know if there's anything I can do." Brooke looked at Haley with true concern in her eyes.

"Alright, well I'm going to be late. I'll see you later guys." Haley walked off towards class.

"Lucas, she's changed so much in the past day. Yesterday she wouldn't even talk to you, and now you guys are best friends again? What happened?"

"Nathan and I went over there yesterday to talk to her, and her dad pushed her. Things got a little rough and we called the cops. He's in jail right now. Haley was really shaken up for awhile but we talked about everything last night. I think she's going to be okay. She was just afraid, that's all."

"Wow. She had it tough."

"Do me a favor? Look out for her?"

"Broody, I've been looking out for her since you first told me to when we started dating. I knew you two would eventually become friends again."

"Thanks Brooke. I love you."

"Love you too Lucas."

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**Hope you liked it! Please review, and there will be some Naley coming up soon, I promise!**


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